10 STORIES: Tuesday’s pundits on happiness, absurdity and R&D

In today’s edition of papers and pundits, a double heaping of Wells and an extended version of Ezra Levant.

Are you happier than this woman?
Terence Corcoran, National Post
“Are you happy? Are Canadians happy, or at least happier than the Americans or the French or the Taiwanese? Would you like to be happier? At the United Nations on Monday, they took a major step toward a global strategy to enhance your happiness status, and the happiness of everybody else in the world. It’s the new role for governments across the planet.”

Small-minded R&DJack Mintz, Financial Post
“Supporting Entrepreneurs, Innovators and World Class Research” was the very first set of recommendations in the 2012 budget papers. You had to be a pretty slow innovator if you missed this one. The crucial issue is whether the budget will spur Canadian business research efforts. Big companies get less and small companies generally get more support. But will this shift make Canada much more innovative in the future? I doubt it.”

Easy come, easy go — Bohemian Rhapsody and the absurdity of existence
Andrew Coyne, National Post
“Seven million views? The Internet is filled with diverting spectacles — what’s one singing drunk more or less? In part, what elevates this above mere curiosity is the unforced spontaneity of it. Most of the videos people post online involve a degree of self-consciousness. The performers have either staged the event themselves, or are at least aware they are being recorded. But Wilkinson is not singing for anyone, so far as he is aware, but himself.”

Justin Trudeau and Patrick Brazeau boxing match was just politics masquerading as charity
Chris Selley, National Post
“The fight sickened me — not because someone might have gotten hurt or because bloodsports are immoral, but because it was so familiar. What Justin Trudeau did to Patrick Brazeau’s face, Parliamentarians do to good oratory, honest debate, intelligent policymaking and our collective intelligence nearly every day they’re in Ottawa. And a majority of the few people who pay attention cheer them on. In such an environment, why not have two parliamentarians punch each other in the face on television and have Ezra Levant do commentary?”

Prime Minister Harper’s role in Canada is a limited successRichard Gwyn, The Toronto Star
“Canada is indeed in excellent shape these days, most certainly so when compared to almost all other “advanced democracies.” And we aren’t at all badly governed, although I would put Norway well ahead of us. But none of this has anything to do with the budget or with the Harper government’s financial management since it gained power in 2006, nor with Harper himself.”

There’s no bullying epidemic
Brian Lilley, QMI Agency
“What we have here is a government power grab masquerading as an attempt to crack down on bullying. This is an attempt by progressives to gain greater control over school life, home life and yes even the life of our churches, our places of worship. We can’t condone bullying when it is done to kids but we can’t stop that by replacing it with bullying coming from the government.”

The Harper budget: Always leave them wanting more
Paul Wells, Maclean’s
“Any one of three things could be happening here. The first is that Stephen Harper is a great big chicken, buck buck buck-AW. I throw that out for discussion. I don’t believe it.”

Everything that is is wrong with Ottawa, for now at least
Paul Wells, Maclean’s
“We’re all positively giddy here on the Hill, ladies and gents. The stimulation is so intense we could plotz. There are things happening. There is action. And so much of it is… why, it’s as near as the blackberry in your hand, is what it is! Fun at our fingertips! Insta-politico-tension-drama! And it’s kind of about us, about Hilltypes, about those who rub elbows with — with — well, with those who know those who — who — well, who are in the know! You see, Don Martin said something to Dimitri Soudas and something happened. Who’s Don Martin, you may ask? Who’s Dimitri Soudas? What, precisely, happened? Shush. It happened at Hy’s.”

Ontario a punching bag in this budget fight
Martin Regg Cohn, The Toronto Star
“The battle of the budgeters has begun. In one corner, fighting for the great province of Ontario: a slimmed-down finance minister Dwight Duncan. His counterpart in the opposite corner, slugging for the fine federation of Canada: former hockey enforcer Jim Flaherty. This fight isn’t a beefcake boxing match for charity, but a grudge match between two aging finance ministers that benefits no one.”

The Globe gets lost in Alberta
Ezra Levant, QMI Agency
“The Toronto Globe and Mail thought that Danielle Smith was the one who needed to be put in her place. They published a story headlined: ‘The childless Danielle Smith protests too much.’ The story questioned why, if Wildrose officials found the comment so offensive, did they retweet it — and draw reporters’ attention to it — instead of simply ignoring it. That uppity Smith. Why does she have to go and make such a big fuss about her childlessness?

“In the face of a personal slur from the PC premier’s own aide, Smith issued a brief personal clarification, explaining her family situation and pledged not to mention it again. But the Globe wanted to extend this disgraceful moment for days longer — and to turn it around on Smith herself. To repeat the slur in the headline itself. She’s childless. Is that really the chief characteristic of Danielle Smith? Is that really the most notable thing about her? To the bigots at the Globe it is.

“How laughable that these sexists also ran a front-page headline when Redford herself became premier, screaming “Alberta steps into the present.” As if all those knuckle-dragging rednecks in Alberta were just catching up with the enlightened snobs at the Globe’s Ontario headquarters -— in a province that has yet to have a female premier, in a newspaper that has yet to have a female editor-in-chief.”